After reading Chuck Black’s book Cloak of the Light, I was eager to read the sequel. Rise of the Fallen, book two in the series’ Wars of the Realm, was as captivating as the first book.

Validus, the least and last created of the angels, has seen much since his creation. He watched as close friends followed Lucifer and deserted the servants of Elohim. The book follows Validus as he watches the rise and fall of many empires. Placed on earth as a warrior, he rises to a respected position commanding legions of warrior-angels. So why was he demoted to guardian? Who exactly is Drew Carter? And why is he so important?

Rise of the Fallen doesn’t continue the story from Cloak of the Light as much as it parallels it. Well-written and suspenseful, Chuck Black switches back and forth between present time and the life story of Validus. Although the amount of details, characters, and unusual names could be confusing, there is a clear cast of characters and time line at the beginning of the book. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to seeing how Chuck Black will wrap up the final book in this intriguing trilogy.

Disclaimer: Blogging for Books sent this book to me in exchange for my honest and thoughtful review.

“He is not here, but is risen.” Luke 24:6a

This week as I have spent some time meditating on the glorious truth of Jesus’ resurrection, I’ve been reminded of the beautiful lyrics to the song, “Because He Lives”. It’s because of Jesus that I have forgiven sins. It’s because of Jesus that I can face an unknown future. It’s because of Jesus that I will spend eternity with Him. And it’s because of Jesus that I can live each day knowing that He has made life worth living.

This weekend, I encourage you to take some extra time and ponder the victorious truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

And then one day, I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!

Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

Did you all get a taste of spring last week? We certainly did. I thoroughly enjoyed the several days of beautiful, 60-degree weather. My siblings and I took full advantage of the warmth and enjoyed walks and outside playtime. Some of us even pulled out short sleeves.

This gray knit shirt is one of my new favorites. It’s super comfortable and the three-quarter sleeve is just perfect for the almost-warm weather.

I love how the pink scarf adds some color to the outfit while the denim skirt keeps it casual.

Bethany and I were wearing coordinating stripes and colors so we had to get a picture together.

Also, don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a year’s subscription to The King’s Blooming Rose. And, to be doubly clear, if you shared the post or picture on any type of social media, be sure to leave an additional comment with your name and the link to your post.

Last year, I was introduced to the delightful magazine, The King’s Blooming Rose. Edited and published by homeschool graduate, Sarah Bryant, The King’s Blooming Rose “offers quarterly encouragement to Christian girls.” KBR encourages young ladies to “become delightful cornerstones at home, under the guidance of their parents according to Titus 2 and Proverbs 31.” Each issue features themes such as abiding in Christ, contentment, femininity, and Scripture memory.

My sisters and I were gifted with a year’s subscription by a sweet friend and we have thoroughly enjoyed each issue. In fact, we’ve loved it so much that we ordered all the back issues. So, to celebrate 100 posts on The Blue Tree House, I want to give away a year’s subscription to one of my readers.

To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment with your first and last name. You can enter additional times by

Share this:

In October of 2013, I had the privilege of standing as a bridesmaid in my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding. We ordered the bridesmaid dresses from an online company using our measurements. Unfortunately, when my dress arrived, it had several issues. The waist was too snug and I couldn’t take a deep breath. The lining of the dress was too small and caused the overlay to bunch up. We did not have time to reorder the dress so I headed for my seam ripper.

To make the waist measurement larger, I began by finding the largest amount of seam allowance. Usually it will be in the side seams or along the zipper. I had a large seam allowance by my zipper.

Carefully begin ripping the stitches out on both sides of your zipper. The material of formal dresses can be delicate so take your time. I stopped ripping just past the ruched waistband.

Look at all that extra fabric. It was like finding gold! [grin] Next, I started reinstalling the invisible zipper. Here’s my favorite tutorial on installing invisible zippers. Sew the zipper to the bodice first.

Hand sew the lining to the zipper using a whipstitch. Hand sewing the lining in fixed my problem of the bunched overlay.

Repeat the entire process on the other side. Carefully steam the dress.

The finished product–you can see where I let it out. After I steamed it, it looked much better.

This is the best picture I could find of the back of my dress while it was on me.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

As a novice knitter, I was excited to see a knitting book available for review on Blogging for Books. While the book isn’t specifically written for beginners, the instructions are clearly written. With lovely, easy-to-read patterns, Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein would be an excellent addition to the knitter’s library. It comes with 150 block patterns for creating a variety of beautiful projects.

The book also includes projects using the blocks you create. I’m looking forward to trying projects like the Crossed Cable Cuffs and the One-Block Toys. You’ll also find projects for afghans, scarves, bags, sweaters and more.

Disclaimer: Blogging for Books sent me this book in exchange for my honest and thoughtful review.

Share this:

The books that I have read by Randy Alcorn have been an encouragement in my Christian walk. When I discovered that he had published a new one, I eagerly ordered it. In hand in Hand, Mr. Alcorn examines the perplexing questions and debate over reconciling God’s sovereignty and human choice. He endeavors to look at the issue from all of Scripture instead of select verses.

hand in Hand is basically a shorter version of If God is Good but has a heavier emphasis on explaining the Calvinistic and Arminian positions of God’s sovereignty and human free will. Randy Alcorn is a Calvinist but does provide a fair overview of the various positions. This theological book includes a liberal amount of diagrams and references as he attempts to explain how the seemingly opposing positions actually work together.

I would not recommend this book to just anyone. It is definitely not an easy read. If you’re looking for a good book on the topic God’s sovereignty, I’d recommend If God is Good by Randy Alcorn. The terms and language used are much more down-to-earth. If you do choose to read hand in Hand, be prepared to learn some new words and definitions.

Disclaimer: Blogging for Books sent me this book in exchange for my honest and thoughtful review.